That is never the question.

Only Ever Yours, Louise O’Neill

Synopsis:

In a world in which baby girls are no longer born naturally, women are bred in schools, trained in the arts of pleasing men until they are ready for the outside world. At graduation, the most highly rated girls become “companions”, permitted to live with their husbands and breed sons until they are no longer useful.

For the girls left behind, the future – as a concubine or a teacher – is grim.

Best friends Freida and Isabel are sure they’ll be chosen as companions – they are among the most highly rated girls in their year.

But as the intensity of final year takes hold, Isabel does the unthinkable and starts to put on weight. ..And then, into this sealed female environment, the boys arrive, eager to choose a bride.

Freida must fight for her future – even if it means betraying the only friend, the only love, she has ever known. . .

Review:

I cannot say that I enjoyed this book. Not because it was bad- quite opposite, really, but because this is not the kind of book you can ‘enjoy.’

Honestly? It was terrifying to read.

The blurb on the back of the book does not even start to go into what the book is about. Yes, its about friendship, but it’s also about life and people and the way both men and woman are different to each other- and how they are treated so differently.

So it’s set in the future, where woman are ‘eves’ genetically made to be beautiful. All they ar made for is men- some will be chosen to marry, others will end up being used ‘for the enjoyment of men’. Hell, they have numbers instead of actual names, and the names they do use don’t even have capital letters.

It doesn’t seem that much, but taking that away form each other, and you take away their identity.

These girls are raised from birth being told they can always make improvements. They can always be thinner, always be more beautiful.

They are never perfect.

Okay. Lets pull away from the book for a second and look at the world we live in now.

Think of everything you see in magazines, on TV. Make up adds everywhere (I have an odd relationship with make up. I like that its pretty and there are cool colours and the amazing stuff some girls can do with it but I do not understand it at all) posters of thin, blonde girls. Even if it is not meant, woman are seen as ‘objects’ rather than people.

This world that we live in now? Look 100 years in the future and actually, this book is what we might end up with.

For gods sake, the word ‘Feminist’ is a swear word in this!

So no, I didn’t enjoy this book. But from the second I started reading it to the moment I put it down two days later, it was all I could think about. I haven’t read any other book at the same time- and I cant remember the last time that happened.

This is a chilling book.

And I honestly don’t care what you normally read, you should all pick up this book. I don’t care if you are male, female, Young Adult reader or not, you should start reading this book. Because it will scare you and make you think and maybe, just maybe, it will start to help change this world so we do not become like that one.